Ricardo Martinez de Hoyos

Happy Birthday Ricardo Martinez de Hoyas!

Born in Mexico City, on October 28, 1918, Ricardo Martinez de Hoyos was from a large family of sixteen children! When he was just seven years old his family moved to San Antonio, Texas with his mother's relatives for 4 years, where he became fluent in English. His brother Oliverio was a sculptor and when he was hired to work on the Monumento de Revolucion Ricardo went with him, keeping busy drawing. His brother encouraged him in his pursuit and even taught him some basics to painting. So other than this experience and a class at the Galleria de Arte Mexicano, Ricardo is considered a self-taught artist.

De Hoyos' work was influenced by the Muralist movement as well as his extensive travels visiting museums in Europe. The paintings are figurative, placed in Surrealistic backgrounds that play with light and color. The figures themselves were painted with a solidity resembling sculpture. He drew on indigenous, Pre-Hispanic art for inspiration. In addition to canvas painting, he also illustrated several books.

Seated Figure with a Drinking Gourd

Benito Messeguer

Happy Birthday Benito Messeguer!

The painter Benito Messeguer was born in Catalonia, Spain, on October 27, 1927, but the family emigrated to Mexico with the onslaught of the Spanish Civil War, when he was 14. He studied art at La Esmeralda and then with Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco. He went on to become a painter, engraver and muralist, but since he was greatly influenced by Rivera and Orozco, he is best known for his murals.

His work has been exhibited all over Mexico, and in Paris and Tokyo. He also was the director at La Esmeralda as well as at The National Institute of Fine Arts in the Center for Advanced Studies in Plastic Research.  I love the juxtaposition of earthy "rural folk" enamored with glitzy modern styles in Shop Window (1956) below.

 Sadly Messeguer died at the young age of 51 in great pain from leukemia.

Guillermo Kahlo

Happy Birthday Guillermo Kahlo!

Wilhelm Kahlo, father of Frida Kahlo, was born on October 26, 1871.  He was of German descent and attended the University of Nuremberg, but lived in Mexico since 1891. He changed his name to Guillermo, the Mexican equivalent of Wilhelm when he relocated to Mexico.

Kahlo was the father of Frida Kahlo, famed Mexican painter. He operated a photographic studio and focused primarily on architectural photographs. The Mexican government employed him to document architectural structures, churches, landmarks, etc. As a result, Kahlo's work had importance not only for the aesthetic beauty of the photos, but also as historical documentation of Mexico.

The Cathedral of Puebla

Byron Galvez

Happy Birthday Byron Galvez

Byron Galvez was actually born on the 28th of October in 1941. He came from Mixquiahuala, a rural town in Hidalgo, with a jazz musician father. In his upbringing he was exposed to culture and became interested in art early on. He was a painter and sculptor of some monumental works. He studied in Mexico City and was called the "Mexican Picasso" by Vincent Price. His work does show an influence by Cubists Picasso and Braque. He, at times, painted in the abstract, but then returned to expressionism and figurative. His sculpture shows leanings toward Pre-Columbian, and Oceanic Folk Art, as well as European sculptors Henri Moore, Brancusi and Chillida.

His work has been shown in Mexico, the US and Europe. Galvez won several awards during his lifetime and two books were written about his life.

Rafael Coronel

Happy Birthday Rafael Coronel!

The painter Rafael Coronel was born in Zacatecas, on October 24, 1931. As a youth Coronel thought art was a waste of time, a "complement to other jobs, bringing no money". He was exposed to art though, since his grandfather painted "decorations" in churches and his older brother Pedro Coronel (see March 25 post) was a painter also.  After becoming interested in art and architecture when he went to Mexico City to study to be an accountant, he won a painting contest (with a crayon drawing). The contest win provided him with a scholarship so he did study art for a short time at La Esmeralda but was kicked out of misbehavior.

Coronel married Diego Rivera's daughter Ruth and they had one son, Juan Coronel. She died in 1969 and I believe his loneliness shows in his paintings.  Coronel's paintings are primarily portraits, some of past masters. They are mysterious and at times somber depictions of old age. His work was influenced, in part, by Rembrandt.

"Old Man with Face of Christ"

Rina Lazo

Happy Birthday Rina Lazo!

Born in Guatemala City on October 23, 1923, Rina Lazo came to Mexico to study on scholarship, in 1945 at La Esmeralda. She became a student and assistant to Diego Rivera and through him met her husband, Arturo Garcia Bustos. He was a student of Frida Kahlo's, one of the "Los Fridos" and they married in 1949.

Lazo worked in collaboration with Rivera until his death in 1957. As a result, her career was focused on mural painting and she was also a fervent Mexican Communist Party member. As a participant in the Mexican muralism movement, she believes that artists have a responsibility to impart social and political messages to the public. In addition to her painting, Lazo was a teacher, conducting classes, workshops and lectures. She has won numerous prizes and awards and her work is displayed all over the world.

Today I am including a section of a mural Rina Lazo created of "Maya Life" a reproduction of a Pre-Columbian mural located in Bonampak...The project was completed using the "fresco" technique on movable panels (to be used for a TV production). The murals there are noteworthy for their depiction of war and human sacrifice, derailing the belief that the Maya was a peaceful culture of mystics.

Marco Arce

Happy Birthday Marco Arce!

Contemporary painter Marco Arce was born in Mexico City, in 1968. He studied with Gilberto Aceves Navarro for a few years in his early twenties. Then he studied in New York for 5 years and was awarded a scholarship upon his return to Mexico. His work has been recognized by a few organizations and is shown at Carrillo Gil Art Museum and MARCO Monterrey, among others.

He has had many solo exhibits and has been a part of nearly 100 collectives. In addition to painting, Marco Arce is also a curator, grouping favored paintings in thematic sets of four. In his own work, throughout his career Arce has painted in differing styles, media and format.